Best practice for Google Merchant Center Next with multiple Shopify Markets, domains, and languages?

Hi everyone,

We have just started setting up Shopify Markets and want to use different domains for our three markets, each with its own language:

  • Norway – domain.no – Norwegian language

  • Sweden – domain.se – Swedish language

  • Rest of Europe – domain.store – English language

I have already added all three domains to Google Search Console and connected a separate sitemap for each one.

My next question is about Google Merchant Center Next.
Should we create three separate Merchant Center accounts (one per language/market), each with its own product feed in the correct language?

Or is it better to manage everything within a single account?

Any advice or best practices would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards

Marius

I recommend that you update your original first account, to be an advanced account. Explained here: Request an advanced account set up - Google Merchant Center Help

Then add a new sub account in Google Merchant Center for your new domain. But only do it one per country, don’t mass create multiple as that may trigger a suspension. Just do 1, ensure it’s all approved then add another after that.

And if you want to increase your chances of getting approved, consider checking the guides and policies below:

https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-video/318699100

https://support.google.com/merchants/community-video/379501229

https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-guide/304792695

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150127

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6363310/follow-the-merchant-center-guidelines

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/4752265

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/13693865

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6149970

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/9158778

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150244

https://support.google.com/google-ads/community-guide/241068758

Thanks for the helpful suggestion earlier.

I tried to upgrade my existing Merchant Center account to an advanced (MCA) account, but the option is currently disabled. It seems to be related to the requirement stating: “Your account cannot be a multi-client account (MCA), or a sub-account in an existing MCA.”

I submitted a support request to Google about four days ago but haven’t received a response yet. At this point, I’m unsure how to proceed.

Would it be better to create a completely new Merchant Center account for the new market setup, or could that cause me to lose any existing value from the current account (for example historical performance or SEO-related trust), considering the Norwegian account has been active for several years?

Any advice or best practices would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards

I recommend waiting for Google’s response or ask again, for your GMC account to be separated. Once separated yo ucan convert it into a adnvanced account.

You can then add sub account for each store.

Use one Google Merchant Center Next account—not three.

Create separate feeds for each market within the same account:

Norway → domain.no → Norwegian → NOK

Sweden → domain.se → Swedish → SEK

Europe → domain.store → English → EUR

This aligns trust, reviews, and performance, eliminating the risk of suspension.

Ensure that the hreflang, currency, shipping, and landing domains match in each feed.

Also, add a consent solution like Ketch for GDPR/EEA compliance and remarketing eligibility.

Thanks everyone for the helpful input so far — I really appreciate it.

After further investigation and a response from Google support, I’ve learned that our current Merchant Center account is set up as a sub-account under a CSS MCA (managed by our marketing partner). Because of this, we’re currently not eligible to request an advanced/MCA setup unless the account is first unlinked from the CSS structure.

At the same time, we are only running paid ads in Norway right now, and staying within the existing CSS setup provides lower CPC and operational stability in the short term. Moving to a standalone advanced structure would likely involve some downtime, added complexity, and potentially higher ad costs, without immediate practical benefits for our current single-market focus.

So where I currently land is to stay on the existing CSS setup for Norway to maintain efficiency and stability.

Before finalizing that direction, I’d love to hear if anyone sees:

  • Risks I might be overlooking with staying on a CSS sub-account for now

  • Strong reasons to move to a standalone advanced setup immediately

Any insights from merchants who’ve faced a similar CSS → standalone decision would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks again!

There should be no price difference between Google CSS or a 3rd Party CSS, this is just a marketing gimmick from the 3rd party.

There is also no down time, zero in fact. Because the change from 3rd party to a individual account is done within seconds.